Joseph Drury, the first son of John and Lydia Drury, was born on 16th. October 1687 (Ref:05).

We have very few details about Joseph and his wife, in fact, if it were not for the Land Tax Assessment of 1724, we would not even know her name as their marriage is not shown in the Kenilworth parish registers. The vicar of this time was also terribly vague about the entries he made in the registers, recording the barest facts only.

From the Land Tax entries it can be seen that Joseph owned some land in Kenilworth, with an entry of 2s. 0d. Also shown there (Ref:48) is the entry for his wife, Doris, who obviously owned a substantial piece of property, with a tax of 15s. 0d., well in excess of the rest of the Family taxed at that time. Joseph is also shown in the 1746 Augmentation (Ref:49) paying a small levy to the church for land or property leased at that time.

Joseph died on 29th. January 1746 (Ref:19). The date of death of Doris is unknown as it does not appear in the Kenilworth registers, and it may be that she left the village after Joseph's death.

Details of Joseph's marriage are unknown.

James * (c.29/03/1730)   (m.n/k)   (d.n/k) 
Joseph (c.1735)   (m.04/12/1766)   (d.17/05/1819) 

* James was apprenticed at the age of 14 to Edward Toone, Toolmaker in Henley-in-Arden. This was the usual age for apprenticeship, although ages did vary from twelve to eighteen. The period of indenture also varied, four to six being the norm in Elizabethan times and then seven after the Statute of Apprentices Act was passed in 1558. In the case of James, the term was the statutory seven years.

The master was obliged to find bed and board, sufficient meat to keep his charge healthy, and two sets of clothes. Some Masters allowed apprentices to share their home, but the majority were not so generous. The majority of Masters paid very little by way of wages, and some paid nothing at all. The stated aim of an apprenticeship was the teaching of a particular trade, but there is little doubt that the trapping of cheap labour was a major consideration in most cases, and sometimes the apprentice would abscond to escape the harsh conditions.

A fee of twelve pounds was paid on the 6th. June 1744 (Ref:25) at the start of James's apprenticeship, and it is probable that he found work in one of the large towns in the area once he had learnt his trade. It was originally assumed that he moved to Charlecote and became a farmer, however, subsequent research has shown this not to be the case and the exact events following his apprenticeship remain unknown.